Holding On To Heaven
by A Fever You Can't Sweat Out
Summary: S4. Amarantha Winchester gets the shock of her life when her oldest brother returns from hell. When she begins hunting with him and Sam once more, will she be more hurtful than helpful? And why does she seem to get so damn nervous around a certain angel? Rated T to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, fellow fanatics! Just a small little note about what all I'm doing here. I've written a few Supernatural oneshots before, including _Leprechauns and Hangovers_, but the more I watch this wonderful series, the more I've been wanting to start an actual story. I won't ask you to go easy on me because this isn't my first story. Though, it'll probably be one of my better ones! Please, no flames. If you don't like something, then I'd prefer you use constructive criticism.  
****This story takes place during season 4, and although I'll follow the season as much as possible, I might not use every episode. Instead, I might come up with a few different things to throw in here. Fair warning: it takes me a long time to finish chapters and post them. Hopefully, that won't be too much of a problem considering the fact that I love coming up with ideas for this particular story. So, without further ado, I present the very first chapter of _Holding On To Heaven_!**

* * *

**Chapter One -** _**Lazarus ****Rising**_

"Amy?"

I turned around, glaring at the owner of the voice: my older brother, Sam Winchester.

"Amy, I—"

_Smack_.

He raised a hand in shock to his now reddening cheek.

"Samuel Winchester!" He flinched back a bit when I started yelling. "How dare you track me down after what you did, you…you fucking asshole!"

His eyes widened at the vulgar words.

"Damn, Sammy. You must've really pissed her off if she's cussing you out in American terms."

I stiffened. _No. There's no bloody way _he's _here. That's absolutely impossible._

But when I looked over, I saw not only Bobby, but my oldest brother, too. Dean Winchester, who was supposed to be rotting away in Hell.

My hunting instincts kicked in, and I lunged forward to attack. Sam, however, had been expecting that and had his arms locked around my waist in an instant.

"It's him, Amy," he said softly.

Bobby nodded. "He's right, Red. We've already tested everything."

I looked at my brother once more.

"Dean?" I asked, my voice breaking.

He gave me a soft smile. "It's really me, Aims."

Tears started flowing down my face as I ran to him, sobbing. He didn't hesitate to pull me into his arms.

"Shh, it's all right, Aims," he whispered into my ear while rubbing my back. "I'm here. I'm here."

We stayed like that for a few moments, until:

"Hey, hoes, what's up?"

I laughed slightly and wiped my eyes before I turned to my best friend.

"Sorry that I kinda ditched you, Blair."

She laughed and ruffled my hair. "It's all right, sweetie!"

Then she looked at the boys, grinning.

"Sammy!" She launched herself into his arms.

"Hey Blair," he said, chuckling and hugging her.

She pulled back, her grin fading, and slapped him.

"That's for not telling me you were leaving," she said angrily.

I giggled a bit at the confused look on his face as Blair gave Bobby a big hug.

Finally, she turned to Dean and punched his arm, hard.

"What the hell was that for?" Dean asked, scowling as he rubbed his arm.

She glared at him. "You're an ass! You've been back this whole time, and you never thought to call me or Amy? I mean, what the hell, man? Why—"

"Blair!" She stopped midrant and looked over at Bobby. "He only just got out today, ya idgit."

A large, bright smile spread across her face. "Oh! Okay!"

She turned to Dean once more. "Good to see you again, hun," she said, patting his cheek affectionately, causing him to roll his eyes.

He glanced at me and motioned for me to move forward. When I did, he wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

"You wanna tell us why you're so mad at Sam?" he asked softly.

I sighed. "Not here," I said firmly. "Let's get back to the motel first."

* * *

As soon as we had locked the motel room door, Dean gave me a look.

I held up my hands in surrender. "All right, all right." I took a deep breath and looked around at them all. The only person who was not looking at me expectantly was Sam. He seemed to be avoiding my gaze, and a guilty expression was on his face.

"Well, it was really hard on us all when you…you know.." Dean nodded understandingly, and I continued, "I was hoping Sam and I would go off and hunt together. You know, be each other's strength or something. But not too long after, Sam took off. No note, no explanation." My eyes started to fill with tears that refused to spill over. "I tried calling him for weeks, but he never answered, and at one point, I started hunting on my own, thinking I would run into him. Instead, I ran into Blair, and we've stuck together since."

It was pretty silent once I'd finished. Then Dean turned to Sam with a murderous look on his face. "You left her all by herself?"

Sam flinched.

"I thought—I thought she'd be all right if she was with Bobby," he stammered. "Dean, you gotta understand. It wasn't easy for me to cope—"

"And you think it was for her?" Dean yelled. "She's our baby sister, Sam! She needed you, and you just left her!"

Sam's eyes widened. "I didn't mean to! I just—"

He was cut off again when Dean charged forward and punched him.

"Save it," Dean growled before storming out the door. After I gave them both a look, Bobby and Blair went after him.

I walked over to the bathroom and grabbed a washcloth to soak with cold water. Sam kept his gaze on the floor as I slowly sat down in front of him. I gently lifted his chin and dabbed lightly at his bleeding nose with the cloth.

"I'm sorry, Amy," he said quietly. "I'm so, so sorry."

I shrugged. "It's no big deal."

He grabbed my wrist, stopping me, and stared directly into my eyes. "Yes, it is. I'm your brother, I should've been there for you."

I smiled softly. "Well, you came back," I said, dabbing at the blood once more. "That means a lot, Sam."

"Even so, I won't leave again, Amy. I promise."

* * *

The stars shone overhead as Sam, Dean, and I drove down a two-lane road later that night. I glanced at my brothers from the backseat, smiling. They were back in their familiar places, Dean driving and Sam relaxing in the passenger seat. It was like that night had never happened. I was pulled out of my thoughts when Dean spoke, "There's still one thing that bothers me."

Sam looked over at him. "Yeah?"

"Yeah, the night that I bit it." He smirked. "Or…got bit," he added, chuckling. I rolled my eyes. "How'd you two make it out? I thought Lilith was going to kill both of you."

Sam sighed. "Well, she tried, but...she couldn't."

"What do you mean she couldn't?" Dean asked, confused.

"She fired this, like, burning light at Sam, and," I paused before continuing, "And it didn't even leave a scratch."

Sam nodded. "It was like I was immune or something."

"Immune?"

"Yeah. I don't know who was more surprised, her or me and Amy."

Silence.

"And what about you, Aims?"

I smirked. "I roughed up a bit. You know, threw a punch here and there."

He stared at me for a moment. "Sam?"

"She left pretty fast after she found out she couldn't attack me."

"Sam!" I scowled. "Jerk."

"Huh," Dean said, ignoring me. "What about Ruby? Where is _she_?"

I noticed Sam shift lightly in his seat. "Dead," he said quietly. "For now."

Dean bit his lip, something I knew he did when he had a question he didn't want to say aloud.

I sighed. "What is it, Dean?"

It was Dean's turn to shift around uncomfortably. "I just wondered...You've been using you're freaky ESP stuff, huh, Sam?"

"No." Sam's answer was immediate.

Dean gave him a skeptical look. "You sure about that?"

"What on Earth are you talking about?" I asked.

"Well, I mean, now that he's got...immunity, whatever the hell _that_ is...just wondering what other kind of weirdo crap he's got going on."

"Nothing, Dean," Sam said, becoming irritated. "Look, you didn't want me to go down that road, so I didn't go down that road. It was practically you're dying wish."

My heart ached at the memory of Dean's death. "Good job, Sammy," I said quickly. "Now can we stop talking about this. Please?"

They nodded.

"But one more thing," Dean said. "Sam? Let's keep it that way."

Sam scowled, nodding, and was silent for the rest of the trip.

* * *

"You knock."

"No way, man. Honour's all yours."  
"Oh, for Christ's sake, _move_." I shoved past my bickering brothers to give three strong raps on the door.

A beautiful woman in her thirties opened the door with a ready smile.

"Bobby!" she exclaimed, grabbing him in a hug and lifting off the ground for a brief moment.

I looked at Sam and Dean in shock. _She is one strong woman.._

Bobby patted her on the back. "You're a sight for sore eyes," he commented with a smile.

The woman stepped back, analyzing me, Sam, and Dean. It was hard to miss the appraising looks she gave my brothers.

"So, these the ones you've been telling me about?" she asked Bobby.

He nodded. "Sam, Dean, Amy. This is Pamela Barnes, best damn psychic in the state."

Dean gave Pamela his signature smirk. "Hey."

"Hi," Sam said awkwardly.

I rolled my eyes. "Hiya, Pamela," I said, smiling.

Pamela eyed Dean. "Mmm-mmm-mmm. Dean Winchester. Out of the fire and back in the frying pan, huh? Makes you a rare individual."

Dean chuckled. "If you say so."

I tried not to laugh at the look on my brother's face.

"Come on in."

I entered the house behind Pamela and Bobby, followed shortly by Sam and Dean.

"So, Pamela," Bobby started.

"Hm?"

"You hear anything?"

She sighed. "Well, I Ouija'd my way through a dozen spirits. No one seems to know who broke your boy out, or why."

"So, what's next?"

"A séance," I interrupted. Everyone stared at me. "What? I know things."

"She's right," Pamela said, giving me a grin. "See if we can see who did the deed."

Bobby looked incredulous. "You're not gonna...summon the damn thing here."

"I just want to get a sneak peek at it," Pamela admitted.

"Like a crystal ball without a crystal?" I asked.

"Exactly."

"I'm game," Dean said.

* * *

I helped Pamela prepare by spreading a black tablecloth covered in symbols over a small table as she got something out of one of the cabinets.

"Who's Jesse?" Dean asked. I looked over to see him referring to her tattoo. I shook my head. _Oh, brother._

Pamela laughed. "Well, it wasn't forever."

"His loss."

She stood, several pillar candles in hand, and stopped in front of Dean, smirking.

"Might be your gain."

I made my way to my brothers, walking past Pamela as she went to set the candles on the table.

"Dude, I am _so_ in," Dean whispered.

Sam snorted. "Yeah, she's gonna eat you alive."

"Hey, I just got out of jail. Bring it."

Pamela walked by once more.

"You're invited too, grumpy," she said, shooting Sam a wink.

Once she was out of earshot, Dean turned to Sam.

"You are _not _invited."

* * *

It wasn't long before Pamela, Bobby, Sam, Dean, and I were seated around the small table, with six lighted candles in the centre.

"Right," Pamela said in a low voice. "Take each others hands."

I shrugged and grabbed Sam and Bobby's hands.

"And I need to touch something our mystery monster touched."

Her hand slid under the table and after a second, Dean jumped.

"Whoa," he said, flustered. "Well, he didn't touch me there."

Pamela gave him a smirk. "My mistake."

Dean looked around the table nervously before taking off his outer shirt and pulling up his left t-shirt sleeve, exposing his upper arm. A large, raw welt in the shape of a handprint was branded into his shoulder. Sam and I stared at it, gaping.

"Dean-"

"Later, Amy."

I hesitated. I so badly wanted to know who—or _what—_had done that to my brother, but the look Dean gave me told me that now was not the time.

Pamela lay her hand on the brand and began to chant: "I invoke, conjure, and command you, appear unto me before this circle."

After three times, the television flicked on to static, but she kept chanting.

"I invoke, conjure, and command...Castiel?" she paused, and my heart fluttered at the name. _What in the world?_ "No. Sorry, Castiel, I don't scare easy."

"Castiel?" Dean asked.

"Its name. It's whispering to me, warning me to turn back."

"Then maybe we should listen to him!" I shouted as the static continued and the tables started to shake.

She ignored me. "I conjure and command you, show me your face. I conjure and command me, show me your face."

The shaking became more violent, and a high-pitched wailing noise filled the air.

"Maybe we should stop," Bobby said, worriedly.

"I almost got it! I command you, show me your face! Show me your face now!"

All of a sudden, the candles flared up several feet, and Pamela began to scream. Her eyes, filled with white-hot flame, opened before she collapsed and fell. Bobby caught her before she could hit the ground.

"Call 9-1-1!" he yelled.

Sam scrambled out of his chair as Dean and I crouched over Bobby and Pamela. She was bleeding and burned, but thankfully conscious.

Her eyes flew open, revealing empty, black sockets.

"I can't see!" she screamed. "I can't see! Oh god!"

An ambulance siren wailed in the distance.

* * *

The next day, Dean and I sat solemnly in Johnny Mac's Diner.

"And I'll just have a burger," I told the waitress once she took Dean's order. "No tomato or onion, though, please."

She quickly wrote it down and smiled.

"Be up in a jiff," she said, walking off.

The bell chimed, and we looked over to see Sam walking toward us on his cell.

"You bet," he said into the mic. He hung up and slumped next to me.

"What'd Bobby say?" Dean asked softly.

Sam sighed. "Pamela's stable. And she's out of I.C.U."

"And blind, because of us."

I started to protest, but Sam cut me off. "And we still have no clue who we're dealing with."

"That's not entirely true."

Sam and I stared at Dean. "No?"

"We got a name," Dean said, leaning back. "Castiel, or whatever. With the right mumbo-jumbo we could summon him, bring him right to us." He paused and turned his gaze to me. "By the way, Aims, how in the hell did you know this Castiel-thing is a _he_?"

"Uh, I don't?"

"Dean, you're crazy," Sam said, swiftly changing the subject. "We are _not_ going to summon this thing."

"We'll work him over. I mean, after what he did?"

Sam looked to me for help.

"Dean," I said, "Pam took a peek at him—a _peek_—, and her eyes burned out of her skull, and you want to have a _face-to-face_?"

"You got a better idea?"

"I've got a million better ideas!"

"I have one," Sam said calmly. "I followed some demons to town, right?"

"Okay," Dean said, somewhat confused.

"So, we go find them," Sam explained. "Someone's gotta know something about something."

Our waitress returned with three slices of pie.

"Thanks," Sam said politely.

I stared at my slice.

Dean gave me a funny look. "You okay, Aims?"

"What the bloody hell is _this_?" I said, pissed off. "This is definitely _not_ a burger! What right foul git made me _this_?"

"Oh, not again," Dean said as Sam groaned and smacked his forehead on the table.

The waitress pulled up a chair at the end of our table and plopped down on it.

Dean smirked. "You angling for a tip?"

"'Cause ya ain't getting one," I added venomously.

"I'm sorry," she said, raising an eyebrow. "Thought you were looking for us."

We froze as she blinked, her eyes going demon-black for a moment. I glanced around the room. A uniformed man and the cook behind the counter showed the demon-black briefly as well. The former went to the door, locking in it with a _click_, before standing in front of it.

It was the waitress' turn to smirk as her eyes went back to normal. She glanced at my brother.

"Dean," she said coolly, "To Hell and back. Aren't you a lucky duck."

"That's me."

She glared at him. "So you just get to stroll out of the pit, huh? Tell me. What makes you so special?"

"I like to think it's because of my perky nipples," he said, smirking. He winced as I smacked the back of his head, muttering, "Inappropriate, bro." He sighed. "I don't know. Wasn't my doing. I don't know who pulled me out."

She scoffed. "Right. You don't."

"No. I don't."

"Lying's a sin, you know."

"For the last bleedin' time, he doesn't bloody know, you gormless bint!" I blurted out.

Everyone stared at me, causing me to glare at them all.

"Hey, I'm still bloody ticked that I didn't get me bleedin' burger, so excuse me if I'm a wee bit mardy."

Dean just blinked at me and turned back to the waitress. "I'm not lying," he insisted. "But I'd like to find out, so if you wouldn't mind enlightening me, Flo—"

"Mind your tone with me, boy," she spat. "I'll drag you back to Hell myself."

I made a move to lunge forward, as did Sam, but Dean held up a hand. Sam stopped immediately, and locked his arms around my waist when I didn't. I scowled at my brothers. "Killjoys," I muttered.

Dean leaned back in his seat. "No, you won't," he said to the waitress.

"No?"

"No," he said confidently. "Because if you were you would have done it already. Fact is, you don't know who cut me loose. And you're just as spooked as we are. And you're looking for answers. Well, maybe it was some turbo-charged spirit. Or some big bad boss demon."

"Or Godzilla," I said seriously, earning myself three strange looks. "What? It could happen!"

"Right," Dean said slowly. "Anyway, I'm at your pay grade that they don't tell you squat. Because whoever it was, they want me out. And they're a lot stronger than you. So go ahead. Send me back. But don't come crawling back to me when they show up on your doorstep with some Vaseline and a fire hose."

The demon glared. "I'm going to reach down your throat and rip out your lungs," she growled venomously.

Dean leaned forward, a challenge in his eyes. He punched her, twice, causing her to look more nervous than angry.

"That's what I thought," he said, standing up. "Let's go, Aims, Sam."

We started toward the door when he stopped, and dropped a ten dollar bill on the table as if it were an insult.

"For the pie."

We quickly stalked out of the diner and across the street.

"Holy crap," Dean said. "That was close."

"You shouldn't have provoked them, ya git."

Sam gave us a shocked look. "We're not just going to leave them in there, are we?"

"Sam, there was three of them, probably more, and we've only got _one _knife," I said.

"I've been killing a lot more demons than that lately."

"Not anymore," Dean said darkly. "The smarter brother is back in town."

I snorted. "Oh, please. I'm ten times smarter than the two of you put together!"

Dean mock scowled, put me in a headlock, and proceeded to give me several noogies.

"Dean," Sam started, regaining Dean's attention, "We've got to take 'em. They are dangerous."

"They're scared, okay? Scared of whatever had the juice to yank me out. We're dealing with a bad mofo here. One job at a time."

* * *

Later that evening, I was roughly awakened by Dean, who was clutching a shotgun in one hand and covering his ear with the other. I suddenly became aware of the painfully high-pitched whining and clamped my own hands over my now-bleeding ears. We crumpled to the ground as all the glass in the motel room shattered explosively. My vision began to get fuzzy, and the last thing I heard was Dean screaming and Bobby yelling before everything went black.

* * *

I awoke in the backseat of the Impala and saw Bobby driving as Dean wiped blood from his face. Dean turned to me with a relieved smile when he saw I was awake. His lips moved, forming words, but for some reason, I couldn't hear a thing. He frowned when I didn't respond, and I pointed to my ears. He nodded and patted my leg before turning back around and pulling out his phone while I fell asleep once more.

* * *

I watched fascinated as Bobby covered the warehouse's walls, ceiling, and floors with intricate symbols. Since I was still pretty much deaf and wouldn't be very good at following instructions, I just sat on one of the old work desks in the warehouse. Dean walked over to me and handed me a sawed-off shotgun.

He turned and said something to Bobby, who had just finished drawing a symbol with white spray paint on the cement floor.

Bobby got to his feet slowly, inspecting his work. He looked over at Dean, his lips forming words. By the look on his face, I guessed he was trying to talk Dean out of his plan. He eventually nodded reluctantly before he walked over to another desk with two bowls. He took a pinch of some powder from the smaller bowl and sprinkled it into the larger one, making it smoke as he began to chant.

A few moments later, we were all sitting on the desks, Dean and I having a small foot war. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dean turn and say something to Bobby, who gave him a look. I rolled my eyes.

Suddenly, the roof started rattling and shaking like crazy. I couldn't hear it, but I could damn well feel it. We jumped to our feet, shotguns in hand, and positioned ourselves at the far end of the warehouse. I snorted when Dean not-so-subtly pushed me behind him.

The door burst open, and I peered around Dean to see the most beautiful man I'd ever laid eyes on. He didn't seem very tall, probably an inch or so shorter than Dean, with thick, messy, dark hair and piercing blue eyes. I frowned in confusion when I noticed he was wearing a business suit and a tan trench coat.

_The hell?_

He stalked toward us, and the light bulbs overhead shattered in a shower of sparks as he passed them. Dean and Bobby both opened fire upon the man, and I raised my gun to do the same, but something in my gut told me not to. The rounds didn't seem to have any effect anyway. Dean slowly slid the demon knife into his hand behind his back as he said something to the man.

"I'm the one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition." The man's rough voice rang out in my head.

I stared at him incredulously. _How the hell can I hear him but not anything else?_

I was pulled out of my thoughts when I saw Dean rear forward and plunge the knife into the man's chest. The man looked down at it, unconcerned, and pulled it out with ease, dropping it to the floor. Bobby tried to attack him with a crowbar, but the man simply turned around and pressed his fingers to Bobby's forehead, causing him to crumple to the ground.

The man turned to me, hand raised, but Dean stepped in front of me. He moved away after a moment, and the man touched my temple. I hissed in pain as my ability to hear came rushing back. The man raised his hand again.

"Wait!" I cried, making him stop. I stuck out my hand. "Amarantha Winchester. You can call me Amy."

He didn't even blink, let alone shake my hand. "Castiel."

I nodded, smiling, and carefully lay down on the ground. "Okay, continue."

Then he touched my forehead, and for the third time that day, darkness consumed me.

* * *

(**Dean's POV**)

Dean knelt down and checked Bobby's pulse quickly before moving on to Amy.

"Your friends are alive."

His fist clenched. "Who are you?" he asked the man in a venomous tone.

"Castiel."

"Yeah, I figured that much, I mean _what _are you?"

"I am an Angel of the Lord."

_Angel my ass_. "Get the hell out of here," Dean growled. "There's no such thing."

Castiel sighed. "This is your problem, Dean," he said monotonously. "You have no faith."

Lighting flashed suddenly, and great, shadowy wings appeared on his back, stretching off into the distance. Dean took a step back in shock as the light and image disappeared.

He scowled. "Some angel you are. You burned out that poor woman's eyes!"

"I warned her not to spy on my true form," Castiel clarified. "It can be…overwhelming to humans, and so can my real voice. But you already knew that."

Dean gave him an incredulous look. "You mean the gas station and the motel. That was you talking?" Castiel nodded. "Buddy, next time, lower the volume. My baby sister went friggin' deaf because of you."

Castiel looked apologetic. "That was my mistake," he said. "Certain people, special people, can perceive my true visage. I thought you and your sister would be some of them. I was wrong."

"And what visage are you in now, huh? What, holy tax accountant?"

Castiel looked down at himself and tugged on his trench coat. "This? This…is a vessel."

"You're possessing some poor bastard?" Dean asked, darkly.

"He's a devout man, he actually prayed for this," Castiel tried to explain.

Dean shook his head stubbornly. "Well, I'm not buying what you're selling. And what the hell did you do to Amy and Bobby?"

"I did not harm them. I merely knocked them out." The angel looked over at Amy, and Dean could've swore that his gaze had softened. "My orders were to speak with you _alone_."

"Who are you really?" Dean asked, scrutinizing him.

Castiel looked a bit confused. "I told you."

"Right," Dean said sarcastically. "And why would an angel rescue me from Hell?"

"Good things do happen, Dean," Castiel said with a tiny smile.

Dean shook his head again. "Not in my experience."

The angel frowned. "What's the matter? You don't think you deserve to be saved?"

"Why'd you do it?"

"Because God commanded it," Castiel said seriously. "Because we have work for you."

* * *

**Okay, I want your all's opinion. Was it good enough that I should continue? Or was it so god awful that I should just quit now? Lemme know!**

~A Fever You Can't Sweat Out


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Yes, I know this has taken forever for me to update, and I sincerely apologize. The main thing is that I've got two difficult classes at school and because I am struggling and stressing about them, my other grades have started to slip as well. Thank you so much to those of you that have read, reviewed, and added this to your watch list. It really means a lot :) This has been on my computer for a while, and right now is about the first time that I've had time to post it. It's not quite as long as I had hoped, but one reason is because I tried to avoid following the episode script word for word. The second reason shall be explained in the second AN that you will find at the end of the chapter. Enjoy!**

Also, since I keep forgetting to put these on my stories, I'll put it on now:

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Supernatural_ or any of it's characters, although I wish I did. I don't own Blair, either. She belongs to my best friend! I only own Amarantha :)**

* * *

**_Are You There, God? It's Me, Dean_**_ **Winchester**_

"Bloody hell, Bobby. How many books do you own?"

"Just shut up and read already."

The four of us had been at it for a few days, reading and whatnot. As soon as we had returned to Bobby's and filled Sam in on the situation, we immediately began researching. Well, Bobby and I had. Sam sat in the opposite corner, trying to talk to a frazzled Dean.

Using my finger as a bookmark, I closed my book and walked over to join in their conversation.

"Stop pacing," I told Dean as I sat down on the arm of Sam's chair. "You're making me dizzy."

He stopped, only to close his eyes and pinch the bridge of his nose. "Look, all I know is I was not groped by an angel."

Dean definitely didn't believe anything that Castiel had told him. I, on the other hand, did. Although he did knock Bobby and I unconscious—which gave me a _major_ headache later—he didn't kill us. Plus, none of the weapons we used affected him whatsoever.

Sam seemed to believe it, too.

"Okay, look, Dean," he said. "Why do you think this Castiel would lie to you about it?"

"Maybe he's some kind of demon. Demons lie."

Sam gave him a look. "A demon who's immune to salt rounds and devil's traps…and Ruby's knife?"

I nodded. "He has a point, Dean. Even Lilith is scared of that knife."

Dean wouldn't have it. "Don't you think that if angels were real, that some hunter somewhere would have seen one…at some point…ever?"

"Yeah. You just did, Dean."

"I'm trying to come up with a theory here," Dean said, shooting Sam a dark look. "Okay? Work with me."

"Dean, we _have _a theory," Sam replied.

Dean scoffed. "Yeah, one with a little less fairy dust on it, please."

Fed up with all the arguing, I stood up and grabbed his shoulders. "_Dean_." I waited until he looked at me before I continued. "We're not saying you have to believe that Castiel is really an angel, but unless we find something that proves otherwise, we have to take this theory under consideration."

It was obvious that he was still skeptical, but he nodded anyways. "You're right."

"Now that you chuckleheads are done arguing about religion, you wanna come take a look at this?"

I rolled my eyes. "Sure, Bobby."

"I got stacks of lore," he said as we made our way over. "Biblical, pre-Biblical. Some of it's in damn—"

"Is that cuneiform?" I asked, pointing to a page of symbols. When I received no answer, I looked up to see Bobby glaring at me.

"Sorry," I said, holding my hands up in surrender. "Shutting up."

"Anyway," Bobby continued, "It all says an angel can snatch a soul from the pit."

I walked over to the window, tuning them out as I got lost in thought.

_Is it bad that I'm way more interested in finding out more about Castiel than anyone else in this room?_

My brow furrowed slightly when I noticed a movement in the corner of my eye, but when I looked, nothing was there.

_Maybe I should call Blair. She'll know what to do._

Almost instantly after that thought crossed my mind, "Highway To Hell" pierced the air. I whipped my phone out of my pocket and answered it quickly. "Hello?"

"_Hey, hun! You wanted to talk?_"

I laughed. "You and you're damn witchy powers!"

"_I'm amazing, I know. Now, come on. What's up?_"

I snuck a peek at my brothers and Bobby to see that they weren't paying attention to me at all. Without making any noise, I slipped out of the room and went outside.

"You got my email about what happened last night when we summoned Castiel, yeah?"

"_Mhmm._"

"Well, Dean doesn't trust him at all, Sam is a little interested, and Bobby is still irate about being knocked unconscious."

"_And what about you?_"

"I honestly don't know if I trust him or not," I admitted. "But I certainly am interested."

She was silent for a moment. "_How interested?_"

"A lot more than any of them, that's for sure."

"_Wha—_"

"Amy!"

I whirled around to see Dean motioning for me to come inside.

"I gotta go," I told Blair. "I'll call you later."

"_You better!_"

After I hung up, I followed Dean into the house.

"What's up?" I asked, plopping down on the couch.

"Sam's gonna go get us some pie," Dean said, picked up a particularly thick book from Bobby's desk.

"Okay. I want cherry!"

"Figured," Sam said, shooting me a grin as he left the house.

I turned back to Dean. "So, what are we doing?"

"We? _We _are going to be doing some reading." He walked over and tossed the book onto my stomach, knocking the wind out of me.

"Prat," I choked out.

"Love you, too, sis."

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us, Amy?"

I nodded and waved off my brother's concerns. "Yeah, I'm pretty tired. I think I'm just gonna stay here and take a nap. I'll be fine, Dean."

He eyed me for a moment before nodding. "All right. If you're sure." As he walked out of the house, he held up his phone. "Call if anything happens, okay?"

"Okie doke."

I stood at the window and watched as the Impala and Bobby's old junker pulled away and drove off.

With a sigh, I turned to head upstairs to the guest room when I heard a soft whooshing noise. My head snapped to the left, and I frowned when I saw nothing there.

"I must be losing my mind," I said aloud, shaking my head.

"Actually," a rough voice came from over my shoulder, "You're just not looking in the right place."

I shrieked and whirled around to come face to face with Castiel.

"Bloody hell," I breathed, placing a hand over my heart. "Please, don't scare me like that."

"My apologies."

Clearly, he was unfamiliar with personal space, but I didn't mind.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him curiously. "Dean just left—"

He cut me off. "I am not here for Dean. I am here to speak to you."

My brow furrowed. "Me?"

_Why the hell does he want to talk to _me_? Oh, no. Did I piss off someone important upstairs? Because that would seriously—_

A light weight landed on my shoulders. "Calm your thoughts, Amarantha."

I snapped out of it to see the angel's piercing blue eyes staring at me emotionlessly.

"Sorry," I apologized as he pulled his hands away. Then I realized something. "Can you read my mind?"

He frowned. "No. What gave you that idea?"

"Well, you told me to calm my thoughts, and I was starting to hyperventilate a bit—"  
"Why?"

I stared at him, taken aback. "What?"

"Why were you hyperventilating?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.

I swallowed nervously. "Well, I was trying to figure out why you need to talk to me. I was afraid that I might've irritated someone up there." I pointed upward.

His frown deepened. "Not at all. I just have a few things to discuss with you."

I let out a sigh of relief and gestured to the couch. "Shall we sit down?"

Without waiting for an answer, I plopped down on the cushions and tried not laugh as he sat down awkwardly beside me.

"Okay, shoot."

"Shoot what?" he asked in confusion.

I mentally face-palmed. "Never mind. What did you need to talk about?"

He leaned forward a bit. "Your powers."

Now it was my turn to be confused. "Powers? What powers?"

"You have a slight essence of power emanating from you. It's small, but it is there."

"Are you saying I'm a witch?" I asked.

"No."

"But you said—"

"I said that you have an essence of supernatural powers, yes, but that does not mean you are a witch. There are many beings that have such powers. Unfortunately, your essence is too small for me to be able to fully tell what you are exactly. You could be a witch, a psychic, a shapeshifter. You could even be a mermaid—"

"An angel?"

He tensed. "You are not an angel, Amarantha. If you were, I would be able to sense it, no matter how small the essence."

"Well, how are we going to figure out what I am?"

The angel said nothing and got to his feet.

"Castiel?"

"I will have to check if there are barriers built in your mind to smother your powers," he said, staring at me.

I fidgeted under his gaze. "Okay. Go ahead."

"Not now. The process will weaken you immensely, and I don't think you will want to explain to your brothers why they came back to find you unconscious on the floor of the study."

"Good point," I said, frowning a bit as I looked at the ground.

I lifted my gaze. "When will you—" I stopped midsentence when I realized I was alone again.

"That's going to take some getting used to," I muttered before I headed upstairs.

* * *

"Well, that sucked."

It had been hours since my visit from Castiel, and since then, Bobby, Sam, and Dean had gotten back in time for us to all face some pretty vengeful spirits. I was still trembling from the experience.

"Hey, Aims, it's okay." Dean's strong arms wrapped around me in a tight hug. "Don't feel guilty about what happened. That bastard deserved what you did to him."

I nodded. "Dean, I have to tell you something."

He yawned. "Can it wait until morning, Amy?" he asked. "I'm pretty worn out."

A frustrated sigh escaped my lips, but I shrugged and went up to the guest bedroom. I quickly changed into my pajamas and crawled into bed, falling asleep instantly.

* * *

_Blood._

_The deep red, liquid substance covered my body, and the sound of a cracking whip filled the air._

_I cried out in pain as the whip slashed across my skin, creating a fresh wound._

"_You stupid bitch."_

_Trembling, I glanced up to hard green eyes and a cold smirk._

"_H-Hayden," I choked out, coughing up blood as I did so._

_The young man laughed maliciously._

"_You honestly believed that he loved you? Newsflash, babe. Hayden never existed." My eyes widened. "Yep, it's just been me, myself, and I inside this disgusting human body these past few years."_

"_What do you want from me?" My body flared with pain as I let out a sob._

"_It's not you that I want."_

_I stared up at him, my brow furrowing in confusion.  
"I want to unleash the fire within."_

_His eyes turned coal black, and he lunged for me._

_Then, I screamed._

* * *

I awoke with a start, shaking and covered in sweat. I pressed a hand to my forehead as a few tears slipped down my face.

"Will this hellish nightmare ever end?" I whispered into the darkness.

For a moment, I sat there, relishing the silence until I heard voices.

I snuck down the stairs and quietly slipped into the kitchen.

Dean was arguing with a figure in the shadows. Fear gripped my heart as I thought of my nightmare.

"Dean?" I asked, my voice breaking.

He turned, and when he saw my expression, he rushed over. Concern filled his eyes as he pulled me to him.

"I'm sorry, Aims. I'm so sorry."

"I can't sleep, Dean," I whimpered. "Every time I close my eyes, it's the same damn thing. Over and over and over like the memory is on freaking repeat."

"Amy, if there was anything I could—"  
"I might be able to help."

I stiffened. I knew that monotonous tone. Sure enough, when I pulled away from Dean, a familiar blue-eyed angel stepped into the kitchen light.

"Castiel," I murmured. My face heated up as I realized with some embarrassment that I was in my Hello Kitty pajamas. Dean snorted suddenly, no doubt having come to the same conclusion.

Castiel's eyes briefly wandered down my exposed legs before his gaze met mine.

"I can make sure that you have a full, dreamless sleep," he said. "If that is what you want."

I blinked a couple times. "You would do that for me?"

He nodded and raised his hand.

"Wait!" He paused as my exclamation, his brow furrowing.

I smiled warmly at him. "Thank you, Castiel."

I could have sworn that I saw a pink tint in his cheeks, but his hand touched my temple, and I was out cold before I could tell for sure.

**(No POV)**

Dean moved forward as Amy started to fall to the ground, but Castiel beat him to it as he scooped the unconscious girl into his arms. The eldest Winchester gaped at the angel briefly before he simply pointed upstairs. With a nod, Castiel vanished from the kitchen.

He glanced around the bedroom, taking in the pictures and various objects that decorated it before he carefully lay Amy on the bed. For a moment, he stared at the young woman and softly brushed her red hair from her face.

He straightened himself abruptly, shaking away the confusing feelings in his chest, and he reappeared in the kitchen.

Dean, still concerned for his sister, opened his mouth, but Castiel held up a hand.

"She is fine, Dean."

The former nodded, and decided to draw back to their previous conversation. "So, you said to think of the seals as locks on a door. Last one opens, what happens?"

Castiel stared at him. "Lucifer walks free," he said simply. In his opinion, that should have been obvious.

Dean was slightly skeptical. "Lucifer?" he asked. "But I thought Lucifer was just a story they told at demon Sunday school. There's no such thing."

Castiel's lips twitched, almost as if he was trying not to smirk. "Three days ago, you thought there was no such thing as me. Why do you think we're here walking among you now for first time in 2,000 years?"

Realization dawned on Dean's face. "To stop Lucifer."

The angel nodded. "That's why we have arrived."

"Well, bang-up job so far," Dean said sarcastically. "Stellar work with the witnesses. That's nice."

Castiel groaned internally. He wished that the eldest Winchester was more like the youngest. At least she was more agreeable when it came to these discussions.

"We tried," he eventually growled. "And there are other battles, other seals. Some we'll win, some we'll lose. This one we lost. Our numbers are not unlimited. Six of my brothers died in the field this week. You think the armies of Heaven should just follow you around? There's a bigger picture here." He took a step closer to Dean. "You should show me some respect," he warned. "I dragged you out of Hell. I can throw you back in."

Dean paled slightly as the angel vanished. With a sigh, he rubbed his face before walking into the study to go back to sleep.

* * *

**(Amarantha's POV)**

The next morning, I was at the stove, frying up some eggs and bacon as Sam fixed the coffee. After a few minutes, Dean trudged in, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"You all right?" Sam asked him, frowning. "What's wrong, Dean?"

Dean took a seat at the table, nodding his thanks as I set a plate of food in front of him and kissed his cheek.

"So," he said awkwardly, "the two of you got no problem believing in…God and Angels?"

Sam and I shared a look.

"No, not really," Sam answered finally.

"So, I guess that means that you believe in the Devil."

"Damn straight. And I got proof."

They looked at me curiously.

"One word," I said seriously. "Leprechauns."

Sam snorted, and Dean rolled his eyes.

"Amy," Dean started.

"Hey! I'm telling you! Leprechauns are the spawn of Satan!"

"Why are you asking us?" Sam turned his attention to Dean, though he was still chuckling slightly.

Dean pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Because we may have a small problem."

* * *

**AN: Okie doke! The reason why I cut out the vengeful spirits scene is because it would have been a major spoiler for what I have planned in later chapters. That was the second reason why this chapter is shorter. I already have a start on the next one, and I will try my hardest not to take so long.  
I also don't want to constantly give each chapter the same name as the episode it's based on. Occasionally, I like to name chapters using song titles. That's probably what I'll end up doing, but I'm thinking of having a bit of a theme. I dunno. Let me know what you think :)**

**~A Fever You Can't Sweat Out**


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